Beware the Emperor's New Clothes: Effective Leveraging of Technology in Higher Education

Beware the Emperor's New Clothes: Technology has had an incredible impact on the whole of society and within Higher Education over the past few decades. It is important to use all tools wisely and precisely, the overuse of technology as a teaching aid can be as much a barrier to engagement as an aid. In this paper we explore one example of how technology has been applied to the learning of computer science students. This will provide an illustration of the technology utilised along with a critique of its application. We consider the specific need of technology in this example rather than exploring how we can ‘add in’ technology to aspects of teaching which seem to attract feelings of fatigue. Students need to be equipped with the necessary and relevant industry/sector skill sets. Using apps/games/online quizzes may feel like innovative teaching but students use these types of applications in their own time and do not see them as an incentive to participate. The paper will be concluded with a critique of the drivers and motivation behind ‘innovation for innovations sake’. Are we using technology as it is ‘on trend’ and we think that students want the latest tools or are we just bombarding them with a myriad of products that can be as easily achieved with post-it notes and pens? A number of students struggle with basic industry/sector standard tools and office applications, never mind the more intricate products required to be successful students. Should we not focus on getting the basics right first?